


Stepping towards heroism

by Finnix



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: F/M, Gen, Minor Original Character(s), Only Wally and Artemis appear from the YJ verse, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, and their parents, they're really just for story progression
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:48:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27519400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Finnix/pseuds/Finnix
Summary: Wally West is what people would consider a "late bloomer" in quirk development. As it stands, that made it impossible for him to apply in hero academis in the US.So, when he heard of a school that accepts quirkless students, it wasn't too much of a stretch to apply as an abroad student.Follow Wally, as he takes his first steps towards being the best hero he can be!
Kudos: 5





	1. West: Origins

**Author's Note:**

> This is really, just an attempt to give me interest in my writing again. Same rules apply as any other story I have, probably long update times and hiatus galore.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Mary West asked her 6 year old son, during dinner time.

At the top of his lungs, with a big smile, Wally screamed “A hero!”

Mary West wasn’t the type to squash her son's dreams, so she’d support him all the way. He might’ve not gotten his Quirk yet, but none of their doctors were worried about him not developing it. He was just what they’d call a late bloomer.

“Well, you know what they say about heroes.” Wally was listening intently at the next piece of advice his mother had.

With a sly grin, Mary tilted her head towards the bowl of vegetables left on the table.

“They eat their greens.” She said as she dropped a spoonful of salad on his plate.

Wally the ever gullible 6 year old went rabid on the vegetables, because as mom always said  _ “Heroes listen to their parents.” _

Mary was delighted he’d eat his greens, Wally might’ve been 6, but he had quite the appetite, so seeing him eat his fill everyday made her happy.

She’d always support her son, no matter what.

* * *

Wally West is 10 years old, his quirk hasn’t manifested yet. It didn’t bother him though.

Sure all his classmates had developed theirs at a young age, and sure hero schools were more reluctant to admit late bloomers. As long as he kept up his grades, and kept acting heroically, he’d develop his quirk faster. At least that is what he believed.

It didn’t matter that none of his classmates really wanted to hang out with him, he had mom and dad.

Mom and Dad always supported him, even if his quirk manifested at 40 years old they’d still love him.

* * *

At age 12, Wally West’s quirk had manifested.

* * *

“In all honesty, finding any hero school that’ll accept such a late bloomer is a hard one.” Wally’s counselor, Miss Davis, said.

She was one of the few who took his dream of a hero seriously. She’d researched any and all schools in america that were willing to take late bloomers, but so far they’d all had a requirement of at least 5 years of experience. They’d said it was due to lack of control on such late quirk development.

13 year old Wally West couldn’t keep the frown off his face when she told him.

“Though there is one option and with your grades it should work.”

The counselor was studying Wally’s face and she could see, she had his full attention.

“There is a hero school, abroad, that accepts quirkless students into their hero course, it wouldn’t be too far of a stretch to maybe apply there? Though it is abroad and would require your parents permission.” Giving him a pamphlet she continued. “I waited with this option to see if there were any schools nearby that didn’t have the 5 year minimum requirement, but I was unable to find any.”

He was studying the pamphlet intensely, reading the words  _ UA Academy _ .

“Why don’t you take that to your parents, make a decision and, if they say yes, we can try and make a plan regarding living conditions down there?”

* * *

“It says here that the school is located in Japan?” His dad was reading the pamphlet, Mary had waited until Rudolph came home from work, so that they could come to a unanimous decision.

“I know it is far away, but Miss Davis said that she would help us make a plan and you guys know it has always been my dream to become a hero. She said that with my grades applying would work.” 

Mary and Rudolph shared a look, after 15 years of marriage, it wasn't hard to figure out what the other person was thinking just by a look.

“But what about accommodation? Where would you live? Who would you live with? Your dad and I can’t just move to Japan.” Mary wasn’t happy with what she said, but Wally was 13, it was a big decision to study in another country, let alone in another continent.

“The pamphlet says that studying at UA doesn’t require payment. I also went a bit over it with Miss Davis, she mentioned a host family program I could apply for. She didn’t go too much into detail, because she wants us to make a decision first.”

“I do like the idea of living with a host family, not only would he not be alone. But he would also be with natives and that would help him a lot abroad.” With a smile his dad nodded to his son.

Mary was still a bit skeptical, but she couldn’t deny that it was a good idea. She was just worried about her son being far away from her. But she relented “Alright, let’s talk to Miss Davis and go over this. But I want you to promise me that you will keep up your grades, if they start slipping even before applying. Then you aren't allowed to go. Am I clear?”

“Yes Ma’am!” Wally said, while saluting.

* * *

14 year old Wally West, was sitting in his counselors office after school. Discussing his plans for the application abroad.

“So, how is my application process going?” He’d been in Miss Davis’ office many times now, after his parents had said yes. They’d gone ahead with the program. Miss Davis had said something about needing to apply a year before school started, to ensure a spot in the course.

“Well, your entrance exam is in a month right? If I remember correctly, for their hero the requirements are high, higher than those of their regular entrance exam. Though, considering you’re keeping yourself at the top of your class and doing quirk training it shouldn’t be too far out of your reach.”

“What about host families, did any of the programs reach out to you?” His counselor asked.

“There was one, but they said that they would keep the application, but couldn’t find any families until I had gotten my exam results.”

“That is reasonable. We can’t expect them to use resources without assurance.”

“Why don’t you head home now, I’ve kept you long enough. Just keep it up and you’ll be more than ready for that exam.”

* * *

He was nervous.

The amount of applicants were not many, but those that were there didn’t look like people who developed their quirk late. He didn’t pay much attention to them, except for one.

The blond girl. As soon as he arrived, he could see that she had this severe confidence. This girl was his rival. She was the biggest obstacle and was standing between him and the hero course.

He kinda hoped she felt the same regarding him.

* * *

On the day he received his results, he spent most of the day staring at the letter rather than reading it. He had felt many emotions when it had first arrived in the mail, but now he was just scared.

Here he was a couple of hours later, and the letter still sat at his living room, untouched.

  
  
  


_ What if I failed? All that training is going to waste, mom and dad will be so disappointed in me. And what about Miss Davis? She spent so many resources and time to give me this chance _ .

While the thoughts were cycling through his head, his dad had just arrived from work. He saw the letter sitting on the table and took to opening it, thinking it was for him.

It wasn’t until he was put in a tight hug that Wally snapped out of it.

“Congratulations son!! You got accepted into the course!” His father laughed, hugging him tighter. Squeezing the life out of him. Which was surprising considering his dad didn’t have a strength enhancing quirk.

“Wait, you read my letter?” He said, pushing himself out of the hug “I hadn’t read it yet!”

“Oh… well. Congratulations son?” The sheepish look his dad gave him washed away any negative feelings he had earlier. Now all there was, was pride in himself.

“I did it.” He smiled

When his mother came home from work a couple of hours later. They’d given her the news. If she had cried in joy about it, no one said a word.

* * *

Artemis was in the kitchen with her mother making dinner. She’d read her letter as soon as it had arrived.

She never doubted that she’d fail. Of course that prideful thinking was frowned upon by her mom, so she’d kept the thought to herself.

She was moving to Japan with her mother. She was going to become a hero and make her mother proud. She wouldn’t turn out like him.

* * *

A month before semester start Wally was leaving the plane, he’d stopped in front of the gate.

_ Here goes nothing. _ He thought as he stepped past the gate and into Tokyo International Airport

The first step towards heroism.


	2. Chapter 2

Arriving outside the airport, a man was waiting, in front of a car, with a sign saying WEST written in both english and japanese.

_ Guess that’s my ride. _

Walking up to the man, he presented himself.

“Wally West, nice to meet you.” He said in japanese, with an accent.

He wondered if he’d said something wrong, when the man looked at him with a frown. He then realised he’d presented himself with his first name, instead of last name first. Feeling dismayed at ruining the first impression.

His despair must’ve shown on his face, because the man cleared his throat before addressing him.

“Ah, yes. You must be West. I’m here to escort you to the Yaoyorozu household.” Grabbing his luggage, the man was loading it into the car.

“Oh, here let me help you.” Using his quirk, he put all the luggage in the car.

The man frowned again. Before dusting his hands off.

“Why don’t you get seated, and we will be on our way.”

He wasn’t sure what he had done wrong to warrant that expression, but he chose to ignore it.

Entering the car, Wally chose to spend the time staring out of the window while they were driving.

Five minutes into the drive, he offhandedly said.

“It’s pretty nice of the agency to provide transportation.”

“Oh no. I am the designated driver of young Miss Yaoyorozu. But since your arrival was at the same time of her recommendation exam. I was tasked to bring you to the mansion.”

“Wait. Mansion?!” He said.

He must’ve been louder than expected, because the man flinched.

“Please refrain from being so loud in the car, but yes. We thought you were aware of your placement?”

“I was told they were able to accomodate for my dietary needs. I didn’t expect, you know, mansion owners.”  _ These guys are loaded. _

A hum of acknowledgement was the response he was given.

It wasn’t a couple seconds later that the man said.

“Well, I can assure you, that your dietary needs are met. The young lady also has dietary needs comparable to yours. so, don’t fret. You are in capable hands.”

“That’s good, I was actually a little bit nervous since my quirk gives me an enhanced metabolism.”

After that, the conversation had stopped. Wally had chosen to stare outside the window again, occasionally looking at the people they were driving by.

* * *

“Artemis, could you go to Miss Yang and get me the groceries? Oh and give her this as thanks for the vegetables yesterday.” Paula Crock asked, while giving her daughter a container of rice

“Alright mom. Is it okay if I take a small detour? We’ve been here for a month and I haven’t really gotten to seeing the area.”

Since they’d moved to Japan a month ago she’d really been wanting to explore, but hadn’t gotten the chance to do it yet.

“Yes, it is fine, but don’t be out for too long. I want to start dinner at 5.”

“Thanks, mom. Love you!” She said rushing out of the door.

As she was walking down the street, taking the area to her. Someone had bumped into her, hard.

“Hey! Use your eyes!” Falling to the ground, she was ready to verbally assault the person who’d tripped her.

It was a kid her age, with green hair sitting messily on his head. The kid grabbed the notebook he had dropped before running past her. This time making sure he kept his distance, while repeatedly saying sorry.

“What a weird kid.” Standing up and dusting herself off, Artemis went to get the groceries, having lost interest in exploring.

* * *

Izuku was embarrassed.

He’d run into the girl while reading his notes on his way to the beach. He was hoping to find any way to best maximize training, before the entrance exam.

After that small encounter though, he had stopped reading his notes, and went straight ahead for the beach.

He hoped he wouldn’t meet that girl again, she seemed as if she could break him in two if she wanted to.

* * *

Arriving at the entrance of the mansion, Wally couldn’t help but gape at the sheer size.

At the entrance some people were waiting for him.

“Ah, you must be Mr. West.” Bowing the woman continued. “My name is Yaoyorozu Irina, but please, call me what suits you best. This is my husband.” She gestured to the man next to her.

“Pleased to meet you, my name is Yaoyorozu Tomio.” He bowed, before walking past Wally and speaking with the driver.

Wally was still reeling from the shock of seeing the mansion, that he couldn’t introduce himself, somehow he did manage to bow in return.

Smiling, the woman, Miss Irina, turned around and went back inside.

One of the people, a plump woman who must’ve been part of the staff, waved towards him. “Come, let me show you to your room.”

He started grabbing his luggage before the same woman told him that they’d get someone to take his luggage to the room. He insisted on taking his backpack though.

The maidservant seemed displeased at first, but after he explained that it held his dietary supplements, she relented. Though the agency had assured his dietary needs would be met, the idea of not having the supplement on hand made him nervous.

Following the maidservant into the mansion Wally was entranced with the interior. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he’d spent time in a mansion.  _ Can’t wait to tell mom and dad about this! _ . His parents had kept the same reservations regarding his food supply, at least now they wouldn’t worry about that. Any other worries they had were fair game he supposed.

As he was concocting all the things he wanted to tell his parents, his thoughts were interrupted.

“Now this is your room.” The maidservant said. “Why don’t you get yourself situated, and once dinnertime approaches I will escort you to the dining room? You must be exhausted after flying, I know I would.” Smiling the woman glanced at her wristwatch before gasping “Oh, look at the time, the young lady could arrive any moment. If you will excuse me.” She bowed before leaving Wally to stand in the middle of the hall.

The woman was right though, he was exhausted and couldn’t wait to actually lie down. Entering the guest room, Wally dropped his backpack on the floor before lying down on the bed. Instantly feeling the comfort of the mattress.

* * *

Knocking on the door Momo was ready to meet the person their family was hosting.

Preparing for the exam, Momo had completely forgotten that they’d arrive on the same day as the exam. She had remembered when she saw one of the servants carrying the luggage to the room.

She had chosen to take a shower and rest before meeting them though, seeing as she was exhausted after her exam.

She heard some shuffling around behind the door, before she was met with a red mop of hair and green eyes.

Seeing his tired face, he must’ve fallen asleep earlier and she had just woken him.

“Did I wake you? I’m sorry about that, I just wanted to see who it was that will be living with us.” She rushedly said, somewhat compelled to just rush through the conversation.

He was studying her up and down, trying to give himself a second to think about what to say, inevitably choosing to go with the first word he could think off..

“Big.” He said, eyes widening when he realised why he said that.

Momo blinked and suddenly he was gone and the door was locked.

“Uh yeah, It’s fine. I wasn’t planning on sleeping for too long.” Came from behind the door.

She was going to ask if everything was alright when she got interrupted.

“J-just give me a second, and I’ll get out again.”

She was really getting confused now.

“I’ll just come back later, if you don’t mind.” She said before leaving.  _ What a weird interaction. _

* * *

_ Big? BIG? What’s wrong with you? _

He really hated his quirk sometimes. Sometimes his mouth just moved before he could think and it would create situations like this.

Maybe he should get professional help. Because that is clearly not normal.

Right now, he just wished he could disappear never to return.

_ I’m gonna have to stay in this room for all eternity! I can never leave. You’re so stupid sometimes. _

But as he was dreading his life choices that led to this, there was another knock on the door.

“Mr. West, it is dinner time.” He recognized the voice as the maidservant from earlier.

_ Great. _

* * *

Dinner was awkward.

When he’d arrived at the dining room, he immediately laid eyes on the girl from earlier. When she saw him, she gave him a confused look. Wanting to forget the previous interaction, Wally chose to just sit by the dinner table.

As soon as he sat, Miss Irina spoke.

“My husband won’t be joining us tonight. There was a work emergency.”

Nodding in response was all Wally elected to do, he had ruined his first impression, best just stay quiet.

The silence stretched on for a bit as they were eating, until the girl spoke. “I’m sorry if I made things awkward for you earlier. It really wasn’t my intention.”

_ What? _

Here he was, making everything awkward with his presence and the girl believed she was at fault? Nope, not allowed to happen.

“It’s not your fault. I have what people would call foot-in-mouth disease.” He said, trying to be humorous. It didn’t seem to work though, seeing as the girl now seemed to be worried.

“Oh no, that doesn’t sound good. Will you be alright?”

He was unable to respond to that, seemingly in shock. How was anyone supposed to respond to that? He gave a quick look at Miss Irina. She seemed to enjoy this braindead conversation.

_ Is this some dream? Or is this really happening? _

“Honey, even with your intellect, you just aren’t brightest sometimes.” Miss Irina said to her daughter.

Now it was Momos turn to be speechless.

Miss irina gave a small clap, attracting both of the teens attention, “Now why don’t you both properly introduce yourselves? Momo, since West is our guest, I believe it's best if you introduce yourself first.”

“You’re right.” Momo agreed before standing up and giving a bow to Wally.

“My name is Momo Yaoyorozu, it is a pleasure to meet you. I hope your time with us will be delightful.” After her small introduction she proceeded to sit down again, waiting for Wally to present himself.

Copying Momo, Wally proceeded to stand up and give her a bow before speaking.

“Uh… hello. My name is Wallace West, but please call me Wally. It’s weird to be called by my last name. Same goes to you Miss Irina, if I am living here I’d rather be called by my first name.”

Once they were both done introducing themselves, the maidservant arrived.

“Dinner is served.” She said as more staff left the kitchen carrying several plates of food towards them.

“We have prepared multiple plates, for both our guest and the young lady.”

Wally waited until both Momo and Miss Irina had started before beginning himself. He’d decided to pace himself with the food, eating slower than he normally would. When he was younger his classmates would make fun of the way he would eat, saying it was disgusting how fast and how much he ate. He didn’t want them to think the same here.

It wasn’t until his third plate, that Miss Irina spoke. “Wally.” she said, getting his attention, she wasn’t used to such familiarity, but to respect his wishes she continued. “Before your arrival, I had spoken with your mother, regarding any issues we’d need to be aware of. She mentioned something about ‘slow eating’.” the look she gave him showed he’d been caught.

“Please, eat your fill how you normally would.” The smile she gave him was enough to convince him.

It didn’t take long for Wally to pick up the pace, 1 plate turned to 2 and 2 to 4, it wasn’t after his 8th plate that he slowed down. Finally starting to feel full.

* * *

Momo was in shock, it had happened so fast. Before her mother had said anything she was clearly 2 plates ahead of him. After that, 10 minutes flew by and he was already on his 7th serving. She was curious, what kind of quirk would need this much energy?

“Wally, what’s your quirk?” She asked him.

“Hmm…” He frowned in thought, he wasn’t entirely sure what to call it, true it gave him super speed, but there was more to it. His thought process was accelerated, his healing, hell he even had the ability to ‘phase’ through objects through vibrations.

“It’s not that simple. On paper my quirk is ‘super speed’, but there are many other ‘factors’ it encompasses, I have an accelerated healing factor as well as an accelerated brain processing, I can vibrate my molecules to essentially phase through objects.” He refrained from mentioning a lack of control with the last part.

“That is… a lot.” She said, unsure how to respond, a ‘simple’ quirk with that many applications?

“Yeah… that is not all though.” 

“There’s more?!” Miss Irina said, having been completely forgotten by the 2 teens.

“Back home, I would undergo quirk training and my trainer told me that quirks grow too.” The  _ more powers _ was left unsaid.

It’s true, that quirks would develop with the user, either through training or as a result of intense trauma, Momo hoped that it would be from the former rather than the latter.

“Well, I guess that’s enough about my quirk. What about you? What’s your quirk?” 

She had waited for that question, taking pride in her quirk and her ability to use it. “My quirk is called ‘Creation’ with it. I have the ability to create any non-living material through my skin.” She proceeded to create a small pen out of her exposed hand.

“Wow! That’s so cool!” Wally had said, looking at Momo with intense admiration.

She blushed bashfully in response.

Clearing her throat Miss Irina asked a question of her own.

“Why UA of all places? There are several schools in the US that have a heroic course, so why go through all the trouble to travel abroad?”

The question was innocent, but Momo seemed nervous when she saw Wally’s reluctance to answer the question, her mother must’ve noticed as well.

“If you don’t feel comfortable to answer, that’s fine.” She said smiling.

“Oh no, it’s not that.” Wally said raising his hands in a placating gesture.

“Essentially the rule is that if your quirk has been present for less than 5 years you can’t enroll in a heroics class citing it as a safety precaution. So, when my counsellor said that there was a school abroad that allowed quirkless students, I just had to try and enroll.”

“So you developed your quirk later? How late if I may ask?” Momo chimed in.

“It developed about a month after my 12th birthday, so I’ve had it for 3 years.” Wally answered.

After their small question round dinner had been rather eventful, with the occasional conversation of life in the US.

Giving a quick glance at the clock, Miss Irina stood up. “Well, I guess it is time for me to go. I have to speak with your father regarding work.”

The 2 teens were looking at each other, when Wally said “It was nice to meet you.”

“Same to you. Also, if you ever need anything don’t hesitate to knock on my door. I would love to help you with your transition here.”

After that, the two teens went their way.

* * *

Artemis was staring at the gate leading to UA High.

None of the students that walked past her gave any indication that she was out of place. They were all here for a reason.

No more students calling her a villain, no more teachers treating her with disdain. Her dad didn’t have any effect over her life anymore. She had finally escaped.

With her head held high, she walked past the barrier and into campus.

This was it, her ascendance to heroism.

**Author's Note:**

> I chose to skip some parts of the story, so as to keep it for maybe, future development. Also skipped a lot of technical stuff, regarding the abroad system, so as to not get a too long first chapter.


End file.
